Senior Software Engineer, Data Infrastructure (RDBMS)

TRM Labs; United States; On-site; USD 200,000 - 220,000; Full time

Job summary

TRM Labs is seeking a Data Infrastructure Engineer to design, build, and scale our data platforms that power investigations and analytics. You will own petabyte-scale databases, optimize complex queries, and build robust data pipelines in a fast-paced, security-conscious environment.

You will collaborate with data scientists, engineers, and product managers to ensure reliability, performance, and scalability across TRM’s data infrastructure for billions of blockchain datasets.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience in data engineering, analytics infrastructure, or backend systems with RDBMS depth.
• Experience implementing and maintaining database security measures, including access control, encryption, and compliance with security frameworks and standards.
• Proven expertise with at least one of: Postgres, MySQL, or SQL Server at production scale (TB-scale datasets, concurrency, replication, tuning).
• Strong command of SQL reasoning—you know how to debug, explain, and optimize queries, not just write them.

Responsibilities

• Design and maintain petabyte-scale high-performance databases and data models supporting real-time investigations and analytics.
• Build and optimize production data pipelines—batch and streaming for large blockchain datasets.
• Diagnose and tune complex SQL queries under heavy load, collaborating with product and research teams.
• Own key infrastructure initiatives—from query optimization and index strategy to storage optimization and resilience.
• Collaborate cross-functionally to deliver reliable and impactful data workflows end-to-end.

Skills

Data engineering

SQL optimization

RDBMS depth

Security practices

Data modeling

Airflow/DBT

Collaboration

Education

Bachelor's degree in CS/Engineering

Tools

Postgres

MySQL

SQL Server

Job description

Build a Safer World.

TRM Labs provides AI-powered intelligence solutions that help public and private sector agencies investigate and disrupt crime. TRM's platforms enable investigators to trace illicit activity, build cases, and construct operating pictures of threat networks. Leading agencies and businesses worldwide rely on TRM to make the world safer and more secure.

The Data Platform team collaborates with an experienced group of data scientists, engineers, and product managers to build highly available and scalable data infrastructure for TRM's products and services. As a Data Infrastructure Engineer, you will be responsible for developing, managing, and scaling TRM’s robust database infrastructure that will ultimately help to build a safer financial system for billions of people.

The Impact You Will Have Here

• Design and maintain petabyte scale high-performance databases and data models that support real-time investigations and analytics use cases
• Build and optimize production data pipelines—batch and streaming that transform large-scale blockchain datasets
• Diagnose and tune complex SQL queries under heavy load, working closely with product and research teams
• Own key infrastructure initiatives—from query optimization and index strategy to storage optimization and system resilience
• Collaborate cross-functionally to deliver reliable and impactful data workflows end-to-end

What We’re Looking For

• 5+ years of experience in data engineering, analytics infrastructure, or backend systems with RDBMS depth
• Experience implementing and maintaining database security measures, including access control, encryption, and compliance with security frameworks and standards
• Proven expertise with at least one of: Postgres, MySQL, or SQL Server at production scale (e.g., TB-scale datasets, concurrency, replication, tuning)
• Strong command of SQL reasoning—you know how to debug, explain, and optimize queries, not just write them
• Experience designing and evolving data models (normalized and denormalized) to support analytical or operational use cases
• Familiarity with data pipeline frameworks (e.g., Airflow, DBT, custom orchestration)
• Systems thinking and ownership mindset—you’re comfortable solving ambiguous, cross-functional problems from end to end

About The Team

• The Data Platform team is the funnel between all of TRM's data world and product world. We care about all layers of stack including petabyte of data stores, pipelines, and processes.
• We have quite a big scope as a the team with new and exciting projects every quarter. As a result, we collaborate across the board with most teams at TRM.
• We believe in async communication and are also not afraid to jump on a quick huddle if that helps to move things faster. We are both scrappy when the situation demands and also process-oriented when we need to achieve our OKRs.
• We are always looking for people who can elevate the quality our tech and our execution. If you enjoy a remote-first and async friendly environment to achieve efficacy and efficiency at petabyte scale, our team could be a great pick for you!
• Team members are based in the US across almost all timezones! Our on-call tends to be in EST/PST shift, whatever suits you the best.
• We do try to reserve some overlap in the day for meetings. Our north star - no IC spends more than 3-4 hours/week in meetings.

Learn About TRM Speed In This Position

• Build scalable engines to optimize routine scaling and maintenance tasks like create self-serve automation for creating new pgbouncer, scaling disks, scaling/updating of clusters, etc.
• Enable tasks to be faster next time and reducing dependency on a single person.
• Identify ways to compress timelines using 80/20 principle. For instance, what does it take to be operational in a new environment? Identify the must have and nice to haves that are need to deploy our stack to be fully operation. Focus on must haves first to get us operational and then use future milestones to harden for customer readiness. We think in terms of weeks and not months.
• Identify first version, a.k.a., 'skateboards' for projects. For instance, build an observability dashboard within a week. Gather feedback from stakeholders after to identify more needs or bells and whistles to add to the dashboard

About TRM's Engineering Levels

• Engineer: Responsible for helping to define project milestones and executing small decision decisions independently with the appropriate tradeoffs between simplicity, readability, and performance. Provides mentorship to junior engineers, and enhances operational excellence through tech debt reduction and knowledge sharing.
• Senior Engineer: Successfully designs and documents system improvements and features for an OKR/project from the ground up. Consistently delivers efficient and reusable systems, optimizes team throughput with appropriate tradeoffs, mentors team members, and enhances cross-team collaboration through documentation and knowledge sharing.
• Staff Engineer: Drives scoping and execution of one or more OKRs/projects that impact multiple teams. Partners with stakeholders to set the team vision and technical roadmaps for one or more products. Is a role model and mentor to the entire engineering organization. Ensures system health and quality with operational reviews, testing strategies, and monitoring rigor.

The following represents the expected range of compensation for this role:

• Individual pay is determined by skills, qualifications, experience, and location. The compensation details listed in this posting reflect the US base salary only
• The estimated base salary range for this role is $200,000 - $220,000.
• Additionally, this role may be eligible to participate in TRM’s equity plan.
• Please note – we factor in the different costs for geographies outside the United States.

Life at TRM

We are building a safer world. That promise shows up in how we work every day.

TRM moves quickly. We are a high velocity, high ownership team that expects clarity, follow-through, and impact. People who thrive here are energized by hard problems, experimentation, and continuous feedback. If something takes months elsewhere, it will ship here in days.

Our work sits at the intersection of AI, national security, and fighting crime. The problems are complex, the stakes are real, and the environment evolves quickly. The pace and intensity of the work reflect the importance of the mission. As a result, the way we operate requires a high level of ownership, adaptability, collaboration, and creative problem-solving.

This environment is energizing for people who enjoy building, solving hard problems, and making progress in situations that are not always fully defined. It also requires comfort navigating ambiguity, adjusting course as new information emerges, and maintaining focus and positivity in a fast-moving and intense environment.

We also recognize that this style of operating is not for everyone. If you are primarily optimizing for predictability or a consistently balanced workload, we encourage you to use the interview process to pressure test whether this environment is truly the right fit. We want teammates who thrive here, not just survive here.

At the same time, many people find this work deeply rewarding. If you are excited by meaningful problems, motivated by ambitious goals, and energized by working alongside mission-driven colleagues, there is a good chance you will find TRM to be an exceptional place to grow and contribute. Learn more: Interviewing at TRM: How We Hire and What Success Looks Like

At TRM, You Should Expect

• Priorities and targets to change quickly as we experiment and iterate
• Work that often requires operating with a high degree of ambiguity
• A high level of personal ownership and accountability
• Close collaboration across teams and functions
• Frequent, high-touch communication
• Creative problem solving and out-of-the-box thinking
• A pace that rewards urgency, adaptability, and outcomes

AI Fluency at TRM

• Accelerate repeatable workflows
• Structure and solve problems
• Improve output qualityIncrease speed and leverage

Leadership Principles

• Impact-Oriented Trailblazer: We put customers first and move with speed, focus, and adaptability. We treat every plan like an experiment – test, ship, measure, and iterate quickly.
• Master Craftsperson: We care deeply about our craft. We balance speed with high standards, own outcomes end-to-end, and invest in getting better everyday.
• Inspiring Colleague: We add clarity and energy, not noise. We bring humility, candor, and a one-team mindset - giving and receiving feedback to make the team stronger.

Join our Mission

At TRM we care deeply about our craft. We are looking for individuals who want their work to matter, who experiment with speed and rigor, and who take pride in building a safer world for billions of people. If you’re excited by TRM’s mission but don’t check every box, we encourage you to apply — we hire for slope, judgment, and the will to learn fast.

TRM is a Series C company with $220M in total funding, backed by Goldman Sachs, Bessemer, Y Combinator, Thoma Bravo, and others. Headquartered in San Francisco, TRM operates as a distributed-first company with hubs in Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York, Washington D.C., London, and Singapore.

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